A house and a form group
Your child joins both in their first week and registers with the same faces every morning. For some that clicks straight away. Others take longer to find their people. Both are fine.
School life at IWS
Where do friendships happen in anonline school?
In the house, the form group and the clubs. The clubs are proposed and run by the students themselves, which is why they keep going.
Book a Consultation
Autumn term begins 14 September 2026. The consultation carries no fee, and there is nothing to decide on the day.
Accredited
The qualifications your child sits here are Cambridge qualifications, recognised by more than 1,400 universities.
Three places a friendship can start
Clubs the students run
Debate, science and chess. Students propose them and students run them, which is why they keep going and why turning up is not a chore.
Groups on the platform
Students have their own groups where they talk to each other and set up study groups for the subjects they share.
The same times each week
Clubs sit at fixed points in the timetable. A friendship needs repetition more than it needs an icebreaker.
Someone paying attention
Every Academy student has a weekly one to one with their Mentor, so if your child has gone quiet, a person notices.
Serenity M.A Level, leads the debate club
Georgiy G.IGCSE, tennis
Maksim B.A Level, Head Boy
What an IWS school day actually looks like
- 09:00Registration with their form group
- 09:30Two subject blocks, taught by qualified teachers
- 13:30Independent work, with a teacher on hand
- 15:00Clubs, Tuesdays and Thursdays
- WedTwenty minutes, one to one with their Mentor
Illustrative. Timetables vary by programme, year group and time zone.
Beyond the classroom
Athletes, Founders & Leaders
There isn’t a typical IWS student. Some train seriously for sport. Some perform. Some are already building something of their own. They live in different countries and meet in the same classrooms.
Georgiy G.IGCSE student, tennis athlete
Peter G.Show jumping, CSI level
Maksim B.A Level student, kendo athlete & IWS Head Boy
Milos L.Entrepreneur
Adrian R.Student athlete
Kei Y.IGCSE student, ballet athlete
Aydın T.Graduate, now in City University of London
Alexandru R.2025/26 Graduate, applied to top UK & Europe universities for Law
Emre K.Graduate, now studying Mathematics and Data Science
Serenity M.Debate Club leader
Thato R.A Level student, learning independently
Xenia A.A Level student, Science Club leaderBook a Consultation
Term begins 14 September 2026. The consultation carries no fee.
The record
- 1,400+
- Universities recognising Cambridge qualifications
- 4.2 / 5
- Trustpilot, reviewed by IWS families
- 95%
- Progression to 165+ pathways, University Foundation
- 1:1
- Unlimited one to one support on Academy
In their own words
Choosing a school online is difficult. These are from parents and students who already made the decision. Left independently on Trustpilot.
I’ve been really pleased with the support my son has received. Whenever we’ve had a question, the teachers have replied quickly and explained everything clearly. It’s reassuring to know that he can always ask for help if he needs it.
Elena C.Parent · via Trustpilot
The team is incredibly flexible, understanding, and always willing to help whenever you have a question or need support. They genuinely care about their students and make the learning process much less stressful.
Milos L.Student · via Trustpilot
I spent considerable time looking for an online education for my daughter. Frankly, I had to choose IWS. My daughter just finished her AS level subjects and will continue with her A levels in a few months. Both of us are extremely happy.
ArdeshirParent · via Trustpilot
This was our first year at IWS, and it has been a wonderful experience. My daughter really enjoyed the teachers and the lessons, and I can see how much she has improved. The school has been very supportive.
Demi Y.Parent · via Trustpilot
I am currently studying a Foundation Year at IWS Online School and have had a great experience so far. The tutors are helpful, the course materials are clear, and the flexibility of online learning makes studying convenient.
Oum K.Student · via Trustpilot
With the end of my A-Levels this year, I wouldn’t have chosen any better institution than IWS. The immense support throughout my studies contributed to my academic performance and my wellbeing.
SalouaStudent · via Trustpilot
Our experience with IWS is very positive. It provided exactly what we needed and how we needed it: flexibility in study time with good study content, an independent programme and IGCSE.
Chinatsu Y.Parent · via Trustpilot
Caring, professional and friendly team. Thank you.
Giulia B.Parent · via Trustpilot
Four parents, on camera
We can explain how IWS works. Our families can tell you what it is actually like. Filmed at home, unscripted, published with their permission.
Not every student needs the same school day
IWS Academy
Full schoolThe full school week. A regular timetable, houses, clubs, unlimited 1:1 support, and a weekly one to one with a Mentor.
IWS Bridge
AlongsideFive taught lessons a week and more space around them. For a student training several hours a day or studying another programme at the same time, a full timetable isn’t always practical.
IWS Foundation
Own scheduleNo fixed live timetable. Students use recorded lessons and course materials and organise study around their own schedule. They are still following the course, just doing it differently.
You don’t have to decide from a website
A consultation, fifteen minutes
Tell us where your child is. We answer on programmes, structure and the fees for their stage.
A trial lesson, with our compliments
Thirty minutes with a qualified teacher, and a look inside the platform your child would use.
A house before the first Monday
Placement, timetable, Mentor and house are settled before your child’s first lesson.
Autumn term 2026
Term begins 14 September
Houses and form groups are settled in the first week. A child who starts with everyone else meets a form group that is also finding its feet. Join later and the friendships have already formed, which is harder, though plenty of students do it and settle well.
We do take students mid-year. September is simply the easier week to arrive.
What would you like to know?
Tell us about your child. What is working at the moment, what isn’t, and what you are weighing up. Our admissions team reads these and replies within one working day.
- Our admissions team replies within one working day
- The consultation carries no fee
- Nothing to decide on the day
Your details go only to our admissions team.
The things parents ask first
Will my child actually make friends?
We know this is one of the first things parents worry about with online school. Friendships don’t happen because a school says it has a community. They happen when students are given enough chances to get to know each other. So your child joins a house and a form group in their first week, clubs run at fixed times, and on Academy there is a weekly one to one with their Mentor, which means someone notices if they have gone quiet.
What if my child is shy?
Then a room of thirty is rarely where they start talking. Classes here are small and the same faces recur, which suits a quiet child better than an open invitation to join in. It may still take a term. That is normal and we will tell you how it is going rather than wait for you to ask.
Who runs the clubs?
Students do. They propose them and they run them, with staff support where it is needed. A club that belongs to the students survives half term; one that belongs to a teacher usually does not.
Can we study from another time zone?
Yes. Families join us from across the world. Lessons are timetabled and recorded, and we will be straight with you at the consultation about which parts of the day work from where you are, and which do not.
Do we have to wait for term to start?
No. The autumn term begins on 14 September 2026, and that is the natural point to join, but we take students mid-year too. If a September start is what you want, a conversation this week keeps it open.